


play harder

by ssatine



Series: that's rich (pun intended) [2]
Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety Disorder, Comedy, M/M, but it's ok!, eddie is working hard on recovery, everyone is gay except ben, it's board game night folks, with positive coping mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-02 13:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12727218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssatine/pseuds/ssatine
Summary: Richie introduces Eddie to his friends, and they spend the night playing board games together.  It's a good night for the Losers.





	play harder

**Author's Note:**

> SO, i finally figured out my plan for this story. i'm going to be turning this into a series where every installment will be (to a certain degree) stand-alone, but will all be part of the same universe and follow a consistent timeline. think of sitcoms like friends, mindy project, etc... as a full-time college student and part-time worker, this kind of low-commitment and free-form structure is what works best for me (so yeah, just a heads up, updates are probably gonna be pretty sporadic) 
> 
> THAT BEING SAID! if you haven't read the first part of this series, you're good, but i still recommend giving it a read if you're interested in understanding the context a little better

"Alright, Eddie, looking good, looking good."

Eddie was checking himself out in his full body mirror, posing at every angle so that he could make sure he looked just right.  He wasn't wearing anything too special, just a navy blue v-neck t-shirt and straight jeans, but he checked to make sure there were no unflattering wrinkles.  As for his hair, it was combed plainly enough, but he gave it a good inspection to make sure there weren't too many stray hairs.  Okay, every thing looked just right.  For a moment he contemplated lightly spraying on some cologne but, no, _then_ he would be trying too hard.  His coconut body wash left a nice faint scent, anyway.  Next.  Although he had grown up carrying a fanny pack everywhere he went, in the recent years he had substituted it for a nice satchel.  Grabbing it from his desk, he stuffed in some tissues, hand sanitizer, a lip balm and, finally, his inhaler. 

The truth was, Eddie didn't even _have_ asthma.  Eddie had learnt this fact over a year ago when, during an extremely eye-opening session with his first therapist, he had learned that his mother had been feeding him lies about his health (and God knows what else) his whole life.  His therapist explained that his mother did this to keep Eddie within her realm of control.  So, anyway, the inhaler wasn't actually medicated, it was just a placebo.  He didn't need it at all, and he knew that.  If he wanted to, he could throw it away.  In fact, him and his old therapist had been working on getting him to do just that before he had to switch to a new therapist closer to college.  But he just couldn't bring himself to let go of it completely.  His relationship with the inhaler shared a lot of parallels to his relationship with his mother, actually.

This realization he had come to on his own, though.

So the inhaler went into the satchel.  Okay, that was done, Eddie was ready to go.  His heart, on the other hand, felt like it was ready to burst right his chest, what with how hard it was beating.  That, and his stomach was doing flips.  He resisted the urge to pull out his inhaler.  Instead, he closed his eyes and pressed his palm to his chest.

He inhaled.

_One, two, three, four._

He exhaled.

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven._

He repeated the process a few times.

Okay, he was okay.  He was just going out to play board games with other college kids for Christ's sake, not going into battle.  Then again, for a kid with a generalized anxiety disorder, it might as well have been the same thing.  Eddie plucked his phone from his desk and checked the time.

**6:56**

Alright, it was time to go.  Eddie could do this, it was fine, he could.  Shaky hands stuffed his phone into his pocket and, before he had time to dwell on his anxiety any longer, he rushed out the door and power walked to the kitchen.

Richie wasn't there.

Yeah, Eddie wasn't surprised.  Richie would probably be late, just like he had been for his class the first time they had met.  Eddie didn't mind _that much_ , but what really annoyed him was that it just forced his anxiety to keep him company even longer.  He pulled out his phone, not really doing anything in particular with it, just using it to fidget.

"There's my Eddie-spaghetti, right on time!"

Eddie looked up in time to see Richie barreling towards him with a huge, wacky grin on his face, and while his nerves didn't go away completely, for a second, he forgot that they were there at all.

 

The board game bar Richie had invited him to was actually pretty cute.  A townhouse near campus had been transformed into this dimly lit and cozy lounge.  The walls were decorated with Christmas lights and various framed nerdy posters.  Most strikingly, though, were all the shelves filled with what looked like _hundreds_ of board games.

"Cool," Eddie muttered.

"Fuck yeah," Richie agreed excitedly.  "Alright, let's find these losers."

These "losers" actually turned out to look like anything but.  It was a group of four boys and one girl, and they all cried out loud variations of greetings.  Richie was the loudest, though, throwing around high fives and props and trying to kiss a few of them on the cheeks.  Although they rolled their eyes or pushed him away, their eyes conveyed nothing but affection.

"Fellas, I present to you Eddie-spaghetti.  First name Eddie, last name Speghetti."  Richie pressed a hand on Eddie's shoulder.  As loud as he was, his touch was gentle enough.

Eddie resisted rolling his eyes at Richie's lame joke, and just smiled and waved shyly.  "Hey guys."

None of their smiles faltered.  If anything, they got even wider as they exclaimed warm and inviting greetings to Eddie.  Instantly, his anxiety seeped away almost entirely.  Okay, they weren't disappointed that he was joining.  In fact, they seemed _happy_ about it.  Eddie felt almost giddy.

Richie made his way around the table and tapped each of them on the head, Duck-Duck-Goose style, and named them all as he did so.  "We got Stan, Bill, Ben, Mike, and, best for last, the lovely Beverly Marsh."

Beverly rolled her eyes, but then turned to Eddie with a smile and patted the seat next to her.  "It's nice to meet you, Eddie."

"Yeah," Eddie said, taking a seat next to her.  Richie took the seat on his other side, to his left.  "You too."

"So," Richie leaned in on his elbows.  "What are we playing?"

"Well, _I_ wanna order drinks first," the guy named Mike said.

Bev nodded, "God, yes, please."

So, they ordered drinks.  Bill, Mike, and Beverly opted for beer, while Stan ordered an Old Fashion, Ben a Cosmo, and Richie a Strawberry Daiquiri.  As for Eddie, he decided to go with a raspberry Mojito, his favourite mixed drink.  As they waited for their drinks to arrive, Stan and Bill volunteered to go scavenge for their first board game.

"Have you ever been here before?" Bev asked, leaning over to talk to Eddie.  

"Uh, no.  I didn't even know board game bars were a thing, actually."

"Me neither," Ben said.

"They make bars and cafes for every theme, now," Mike mentionned.

"Speaking of which," Richie started.  "When are we going to our first maid cafe?"

"Actually, Richie, I was just thinking we should go to Japan over the weekend," Mike quipped.

"We're only going to a maid cafe if we also go to a host club," Beverly stated.

"Fantastic idea!  And maybe I could get a job there."  Richie smiled.

Ben chuckled.  "Yeah right.  Unless they _want_ their customers storming out in a fit of rage... or disgust."

"Ben, you fool.  I _ooze_ charm and allure.  The ladies can't get enough o' this."  Richie emphasized this point by using his hands to present himself from his head to his chest, and then winced far too aggressively.

Suddenly, there was a loud _thud_ as the first game was placed on the table.  

"Oh, hell yeah!"  Mike exclaimed, rubbing his hands excitedly.

"Life was my favourite game when I was a kid," Bill said with a smile as he slid into his seat.  "My parents and Georgie and I always played it."

While they were setting up the game, their drinks arrived.  Eddie himself had never played Life.  In fact, he had never really played board games growing up since he was an only child with a single mother.  And he had never had enough friends to play any with, either.  Board games were really more of a group thing.  But Eddie was excited to try, especially since this group actually seemed really cool.  It was the updated version of the game, with a machine and credit cards that calculated the players' funds instead of making them hold on to fake cash.  And although Eddie wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, the game was actually fun!  Richie was already in debt within the first 10 minutes, and his friends spared him no teasing. 

"Richie, you're never supposed to start off in the Live It! section," Bill chastised him, laughing.

"Well no one told me that!"

"Usually it goes without saying that you're not supposed to go out of your way to spend a bunch of money when you have none," Stan quipped.

"Yeah, that's nice Stan.  How's your wife and three children?"

"Wonderful, thanks for asking.  I just wish my parents were here to see their son living the heterosexual life they always wanted for him."

The group burst out into laughter, and Eddie probably would've joined them if it weren't for his heart skipping a beat.  Okay, _wow_.  So... Stan was gay?  And everyone in this group was... okay with that?  Wow.  _Wow_.

Richie's laughter died down and he narrowed his eyes at Eddie.  "All good there, Eds?"  He asked.  His voice was low enough that his friends couldn't have heard, but there was an edge of concern in it.

"What?" Eddie realized that his surprise must have been obvious on his face, and his anxiety rose as it dawned on him that that probably looked _bad_.  "Oh- oh, no!  I mean, yes, all good."  He swallowed.  " _I'm_ gay."

That was the first time Eddie ever said it out loud. 

Richie's concern melted away and was replaced with a twinkle in his eye.  He gleamed at Eddie for a moment before turning to face the group.  "Hey Ben, looks like you're still our token straight friend after all!"

_Wow._

_Token straight friend._

Did that mean... everyone else there  _wasn't_ straight?  

Ben raised his eyebrows at Richie, then looked at Eddie.  Eddie smiled sheepishly.  Ben sighed and rolled his eyes, obviously with no real annoyance.  "What's new?"

The group had already resumed playing the game, but Eddie was too distracted by this new knowledge to focus.  Okay, sure, Eddie had heard of friend groups that were made up entirely or mostly of gay people.  But that was only on the Internet, where everything seemed so far from reality.  Or, at least, from _his_ reality.  Hell, as far as he ever knew, he had never even met another gay person in real life.  So, to him, it had always seemed like some kind of pipe dream to be part of a group like that.  But this was one, and maybe Eddie had a chance of being part of it.  Maybe Eddie had a chance of being part of a group who were just like him and could actually understand him and would make him feel like he wasn't an outsider for once in his fucking life.

Not to mention, it also confirmed that Richie was, indeed, not straight.  Eddie tried not to get too excited about that.

Richie's shoulder bumped his, and he spoke in a crude attempt at a British accent.  "Ya still with us, ol' chap?"  

It snapped Eddie out of his daze and he realized that it was his turn.  The game carried on, but something had changed for Eddie.  He felt comfortable in a way he had never felt before in his life, and his high only heightened every time they cracked another gay joke.  It was done so casually, with no one batting an eye, like it was the most normal thing in the world.  Eddie felt like it was all so surreal, but he _loved_ it.  Like when Beverly was the first one to get a car and she said, "see, now _this_ is the most unrealistic part of the game.  Lesbians _don't_ drive."  

Maybe it was his Mojito, maybe it was the positive energy in the group, or maybe it was because his heart felt like it was growing too big for his chest, but Eddie felt like he was fucking flying.

 

Bill ended up winning, to no one's surprise.  The next game was Mike's pick, and he came back with Clue.  It had a maximum of six players, though, so they agreed to let Richie and Eddie pair up.  Eddie didn't mind, until he realized that Richie was a complete idiot.  He kept trying to turn the game into a role-playing game, which it very much _wasn't_.

"Ah, _come on!_ "  Richie cried out.  "Where's the fun improv?  Where's the hard hitting investigation?  Where's the indepth lore we have to dissect in order to distinguish red herrings from the real clues?"

"It's Clue, Richie," Mike said, deadpanned. "Not Dungeons and Dragons."

Richie snapped his fingers and then pointed a finger gun at Mike.  "Aha!  Now _that's_ a game!"

"I've never played Dungeons and Dragons," Ben said.

"Same," Beverly added.

"Are you kidding?  Dungeons and Dragons was my whole childhood," Stan exclaimed.  "Bill and I always played with some other kids.  Best game ever."

"Yeah, except our Dungeon Master sucked ass." Bill chuckled.

"He was also 11, Bill."

"Dungeon _what_?" Ben looked utterly confused.

So was Eddie.  Well, he had a vague idea of what Dungeons and Dragons was.  But, just like pretty much every other board game, he had never played it.  He had always wanted to, though.

"That sounds like a BDSM thing," Beverly stated.

Eddie snorted.

"Close, but no cigar, Bev," Richie said.  "The Dungeon Master's the ring leader.  He's in charge of creating the lore and directing the game flow.  All the other players have their own characters that they make up themselves and actually play the game."

"You know who would make a good Dungeon Master?"  Stan grinned.  "Bill."

Richie threw his hands up in the air.  "Oh, fuck yeah, are you kidding me?  Bill, with all that creative writing shit you're so good at, you would make the best DM."

"Thanks, it's always flattering when someone says I'm good at my creative writing _shit_ ," Bill replied.

Bill's sarcasm flew over Richie's head, who turned to face Stan.  "Ah, Stan the Man, we gotta set up a Dungeons and Dragons session one day.  My voice acting and improv skills are getting blue balls over here, man, they need some action."  He turned to look at Eddie.  "You ever play D&D?"

"Nope."  Eddie answered.  "Always wanted to, though."

"Then it's settled, it's happening."

" _What's_ happening?" Bev's eyebrows were knit in confusion.

Richie beamed.  "Oh, you'll see."

"Yeah, you'll see.  But 'till then, can we _please_ finish this game of Clue?" Mike whined.

 

"Alright, assholes, I know you'll love this one.  Richie, you can thank me later."

Beverly placed a black box on the table.  On the box, written in white font, it said: **Cards Against Humanity**.

The group erupted into loud cheers of approval, with Eddie included.  Now _this_ game, he knew very well.  There were online versions of it, and Eddie had played it with some friends he had made on the Internet.  He loved it because, when done right, it could be _extremely_ funny.

"Get ready to be fucking smoked, losers, this is Richie's game," Richie gloated, and his eyes glimmered with excitement. 

"Fat chance, Trashmouth," Stan spat.

"Ah, you insult me so because you know that my trash mouth is the ultimate Cards Against Humanity weapon "  Richie smirked.  "Don't let the impending doom of another loss drag you down _too_ much."

"Hey, let's not forgot who _also_ has a track record of winning," Beverly pointed out, head held high.

"I don't think _one time_ counts as a track record, Bev."

Beverly reached over Eddie swat at Richie.

The game needed one person to be the designated Card Czar every round and Beverly volunteered to be the first.  So, everyone else drew 10 white cards while she drew one black card.  Beverly looked around the table, her eyes narrowed mischievously, before saying, "let's begin."

She read the first card.

"I’m Bobby Flay, and if you can’t handle _blank_ , get out of the kitchen!"

She set it on the table.  "Impress me."

Everyone started reading through their cards.  Eddie looked at his own, trying to find the one that would complete the sentence in the funniest way possible.  One card made him laugh out loud as he read it, and he knew it was the one.  He slipped it, face down, to Beverly.  He was both anxious and excited to see how the others would respond to his humour.  Either this would turn out very good, or very _bad_.

Once all the chosen cards were delivered to Beverly, she shuffled them and then laid them face up on the table.  Everyone excitedly leaned over to check them out.

**I’m Bobby Flay, and if you can’t handle [50,000 bolts straight to the nipples.], get out of the kitchen!**

**I’m Bobby Flay, and if you can’t handle [A three way with my wife and Shaquile O’Neal.], get out of the kitchen!**

**I’m Bobby Flay, and if you can’t handle [Pulling out.], get out of the kitchen!**

**I’m Bobby Flay, and if you can’t handle [Graphic violence, adult language and some sexual content.], get out of the kitchen!**

**I’m Bobby Flay, and if you can’t handle [Fucking me good and taking me to Red Lobster.], get out of the kitchen!**

**I’m Bobby Flay, and if you can’t handle [Kissing grandma on her forehead and turning off her life support.], get out of the kitchen!**

The gang laughed as they read them all, and Eddie himself thought that they were all pretty fucking good.

"Ah, shit, these are pretty good guys," Bev said, still giggling.  "Fuck, okay.  I have a couple favourites."  She pulled out the ones that said 'A three way with my wife and Shaquile O’Neal.', 'Graphic violence, adult language and some sexual content.', and 'Fucking me good and taking me to Red Lobster.' to inspect them even closer.

Ben, Stan and Bill instantly sank back into chairs in disappointment.  Obviously, they weren't in her top three.  

"Oh come on, the bolts to the nipples was so good," Bill whined, throwing his hand up in exasperation.

"It was, but these are better," Bev said, smirking.  "Okay, I've picked the winner."

Eddie bit his lip in anticipation, his chest tightening with excitement.

She set the card down.

**Graphic violence, adult language and some sexual content.**

Eddie jumped in his chair and pumped his fist.  "Hell yeah!"

The boys who had already been eliminated said a chorus of, "aaah," as they learned who the winner was, then reached over to high five Eddie. Mike slapped the table in dismay, but pointed at Eddie and said, "good one, man."  Richie, on the other hand, wasn't taking the loss so well.

"Bev, _Bev_ , baby-girl, come on!  Did you even _try_ to picture Bobby Flay saying 'fucking me good and taking me to Red Lobester'?  That's the fucking funniest thing ever!" 

"Yeah, it's pretty good.  But Bobby Flay unironically giving a content warning for his very G rated cooking show _really_ tickles me.  Sorry, Trashmouth."  She slapped Eddie on the shoulder.  "But good job, Eddie."

Eddie leaned back in his chair confidently, and side-eyed Richie with the cockiest smirk he could muster.  He offered him a nonchalant shrug. 

Richie's eyes bored into him, and although he still looked kind of annoyed from having lost, none of it was actually directed at Eddie.  In fact, Richie's lips curled into a smile as they stared each other down.  "Bring it on, Edward."

 

Half an hour past by, and it was almost closing time.  They were down to their last match, the one that would determine the winner.  The entire game had been spent with Eddie winning one round and Richie winning the next, with only a few exceptions.  Eddie was feeling euphoric, high on his own success, and Richie's taunting only made him all the more hungry to win.  Richie himself looked just as invested as he did, crying exasperatedly every time Eddie won one over him and making a huge spectacle of himself every time he won.  But this was the challenge that would end it all.

Bill was the last Card Czar, and he read the black card that was in his hands, "Armani suit: 1000$.  Dinner for 2 at a swanky restaurant: 300$.  The look on her face when you surprise her with _blah blah blah_ : priceless."

He set the card down, and everyone got to work.  The other friends had no chance of winning, but it was still fun to see as many good card combinations as possible, so they participated.  Eddie hesitated between two cards, knowing that the wrong one could cost him the game.  He finally settled on the one he found the wittiest.  Once everyone had submitted their picks, Bill shuffled them before spreading them across the table.

**Armani suit: 1000$.  Dinner for 2 at a swanky restaurant: 300$.  The look on her face when you surprise her with [A full-blown panic attack.]: priceless.**

**Armani suit: 1000$.  Dinner for 2 at a swanky restaurant: 300$.  The look on her face when you surprise her with [Laying thousands of eggs in a man’s colons]: priceless.**

**Armani suit: 1000$.  Dinner for 2 at a swanky restaurant: 300$.  The look on her face when you surprise her with [Onions]: priceless.**

**Armani suit: 1000$.  Dinner for 2 at a swanky restaurant: 300$.  The look on her face when you surprise her with [Erectile dysfunction.]: priceless.**

**Armani suit: 1000$.  Dinner for 2 at a swanky restaurant: 300$.  The look on her face when you surprise her with [Emotional baggage.]: priceless.**

**Armani suit: 1000$.  Dinner for 2 at a swanky restaurant: 300$.  The look on her face when you surprise her with [A respectful discussion of race and gender on the Internet.]: priceless.**

They took time to read all the cards, snickering and giggling at the ones they liked.  Bill studied them intensely. 

"Eds, my good man," Richie started.  His expression was comically serious as he reached his hand out to Eddie.  "It's been good playing with you."

Eddie tried not to show his amusement.  He shook Richie's hand.  "Likewise." 

"Okay, the verdict is in."

Everyone settled down and looked at Bill expectantly.  Richie leaned in even closer, and Eddie bit his lip anxiously.

Bill looked to his left.

Then he looked to his right.

He set the winning card on the table.

**Erectile dysfunction.**

Eddie shot up onto his feet, his hands flew up high in the air, and he hollered a loud, "WOO!"  The gang all jumped up to their feet as well, cheering and applauding and slapping Eddie on his back and high-fiving him.  Richie was crying, " _NO!_ " long and loud, falling to his knees and cradling his face in his hands.  It was all kinds of dramatic and ridiculous, but Eddie didn't care, and the rest of the group obviously didn't either.  They were having fun.  Eddie had never had this kind of fun with a real group of friends before, and it felt amazing.

This was the best night of Eddie's life.

 

* * *

 

 

This was the best night of Richie's life.

Eddie had been fucking incredible.  Richie had gotten a really good vibe from the guy during the first time he met him; he never missed a beat responding to Richie's wise cracks with his own snide comebacks, which was even more attractive than it was impressive.  After witnessing that, he knew that they would make good friends.  He had also known that his own friends would like Eddie, but he hadn't anticipated just how _much_ he would fit in.  The gang _loved_ Eddie, Richie could tell.  To top it all off, Richie had finally met his match at Cards Against Humanity.  It did take a blow to his ego that he had lost, but he mostly played up on that for the dramatics.  In reality, he couldn't be more fucking excited about it.  Eddie seemed like the kind of guy that Richie could have a lot of fun with, which made his beautiful face and smoking body all the more attractive.

And best of all: Eddie was _gay_. 

After the group exchanged goodbyes, all of them telling Eddie that they'd love to see him again, Richie and Eddie walked together back to their dorm.  Although Stan was Richie's roommate, he was spending the night at Bill's, so it was just the two of them.  On their way out, Richie noticed that Eddie was still smiling absentmindedly.  It made Richie happy to see that _he_ was happy. 

"So what'd you think?"  Richie asked, getting Eddie's attention.  "They're a lot better than me, huh?"

Eddie chortled.  " _Yeah_."

They shared a smile for a moment, before they both turned to face the direction they were heading.  It was fall in California, so the air was a little snippy but still overall warm.  The streets were illuminated only by some street lights, and Richie could hear music and loud voices coming from the campus residences'.  Ah, college.  He loved it.  

"What are you studying?" Richie asked, suddenly curious.

"Psychology," Eddie answered.    

Richie nodded.  Cool, psychology was cool.  Well, Richie didn't really know anything about it, really, but the concept was cool.  "Cool."

"What about you?"

"Communication."

"Yeah that seems right."

Richie laughed.  Fuck, this guy was good.  "Yeah, yeah, I think everyone agrees."

"What is communication, anyway?  Like what are you studying?"

"Um, it's kind of like... studying media's role in the modern world.  And public relations and shit like that."

"Oh, yeah, okay."

The rest of the walk was spent more or less in silence.  They got to Richie's room before Eddie's, and Richie paused before going in.  "You wanna come in and play video games or something?"

Eddie's eyebrows shot up.  "It's almost 2AM.  I have classes tomorrow."

"So?"

Eddie's expression of shock morphed into something that could only be described as affectionate discouragement.  " _Goodnight_ , Richie."

Richie shrugged, and tried not to let himself feel too disappointed.  "Yeah, goodnight."  But before Eddie had a chance to turn away completely, he said, "hey Eddie."

Eddie looked up at him expectantly.

"I'll see you around again?"

Eddie smirked.  "Yeah, and I'll be _hearing_ you around again."

Richie chuckled, and gave Eddie another taste of his British accent.  "Right you are, Eddie ol' pal."

" _Bye_."

Even if he wanted to, Richie couldn't stop himself from smiling as he watched Eddie walk away from him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i had soooOOOOO much fun writing this chapter and now i kinda wanna write about the losers playing dungeons and dragons lmao 
> 
> also i just wanted to say THANK YOU THANK THANK YOU for all the lovely comments you guys left on the first part of this series! it was so heart warming and got me so excited to continue this story
> 
> this story is part of an ongoing series called "that's rich (pun intended)" and if you're interested in seeing more of it, i recommend subscribing to it so you don't miss any updates!
> 
> let me know what you guys think!!!! xoxo


End file.
